Is this a kind of learning that involves developing professional judgment in a variety of different contexts? Does the development of judgment need to be practiced in a safe environment? Does this learning involve activities that could cause damage, expense, or even loss of life? Will students feel more confident and be more competent if they have been able to work first in a simulated environment before going into the real world? These are learning outcomes that are well served by learning through virtual realities.

Students at a law enforcement training academy practice making arrests in a class titled Arrest Control. Students engage in role-playing the arrest procedure in pairs. They actually act out the standard control procedures. So far so good, but what happens if the people being arrested try to pull away or refuse to remove their hands from their pockets?

Teachers who want to facilitate learning through virtual realities effectively do the following:

define a clear purpose for using virtual realities for learning

design or select the activity to use

define the type of professional behavior or judgment desired from students as an outcome

find appropriate materials to support the activity

arrange the logistical aspects, such as number of participants, type of roles needed, level of structure, and length

identify the various roles that are needed and create the scripts or backgrounds to set them in motion

decide what role or level of involvement, if any, the teacher will have

define any rules necessary for the activity to proceed

prepare students for the activity and any possible emotional reactions

facilitate the action as necessary using techniques such as role reversal, student doubles, empty chair, soliloquy, freeze frame, and so forth

be prepared to stop, pause, or support the activity with additional resources, materials, technologies, or just-in-time explanations

provide formative feedback and determine what aspects of the activity are appropriate for summative assessment

debrief the experience with students to identify and discuss the essential learning